David Warren - Author

22/10/2026

A difficult letter to an ‘old friend’!

19/10/2026

“In the hands of controlling, coercive leaders the wonderful themes of forgiveness, unity and reconciliation become weapons that silence victims, shield abusers and inflict much trauma.”

Out on November 5th.

16/10/2026

Out of Control!
Recognising and resisting control and coercion in the church

by Elise Heerde & David Warren

This is a book about asking better questions.

About recognising when leadership can become control.

About understanding coercion.

About creating churches where people can be safe, heard, valued and free to flourish.

And perhaps most importantly, it’s about believing that healthy leadership doesn’t need control to lead well.

📖 Publication date: 5 November 2026

🇬🇧 UK pre-orders are available now at a reduced price.

If you’d like to order a copy before publication, message me for details.

11/10/2026

“Leaving a high-control religious community is rarely a single moment. It is usually a long, non-linear process that begins long before any physical or formal departure occurs. For many people it begins with a feeling, something that is difficult to name at first, a growing discomfort, a question that will not stay quiet, a moment in which something said from the front of the room lands differently than it was intended and cannot be un-heard. The process from that first internal stirring to the point of actual departure can take months or years, and the journey is rarely straightforward”.

From: ‘Out of Control!’

08/10/2026

If you are in the UK and want to preorder a copy at a reduced price then please message me and we can sort. Published on 5th November.

05/10/2026

“This book is about more than safeguarding”

What if creating safer churches isn’t simply about having the right policies?

What if it is also about the culture we create?

Out of Control! looks at the ways churches can unintentionally create environments where control and coercion become possible — and explores practical ways of cultivating healthier communities.

It brings together ideas around:

• leadership and power
• coercion and control
• safeguarding culture
• trauma-informed practice
• psychological safety
• healthy boundaries
• freedom and faith

The aim isn’t to create fearful churches.

It is to help us imagine healthier ones.

Out of Control! — Elise Heerde & David Warren

📅 Publication: 5 November 2026

UK pre-orders are available now at a reduced price.

Message me for details.

28/09/2026

Out on November 5th. Watch this space. Discounted copies for UK readers available via direct message to me. Special rates for multi purchases for leadership teams. Book includes practical exercises that will help your team create fearless cultures.

23/09/2026

“It doesn’t always look like control”

Control in church doesn’t always look like control.

Sometimes it sounds like:

“Trust us — we know what’s best.”

“Don’t question the leadership.”

“You don’t understand the risks.”

“Unity means we all need to agree.”

“It’s not your place to ask.”

But healthy churches can hold something different: leadership and accountability, authority and freedom, faith and questions, care and boundaries.

Out of Control! asks some uncomfortable but important questions about coercion, control and the culture we create in our churches.

📖 Coming 5 November 2026

🇬🇧 UK pre-orders at a reduced price:
Message me for details.

22/09/2026

18/09/2026

POST 1 — “What if?”

What would it look like if the church gave up control?

Not leadership.
Not responsibility.
Not safeguarding.

But control and coercion.

Out of Control! explores what can happen when churches move from controlling people to creating communities where faith, freedom, safety and healthy relationships can flourish.

Written by Elise Heerde and David Warren, the book brings together experience from church leadership, safeguarding, trauma-informed practice and psychological safety.

📖 Publication date: 5 November 2026

UK pre-orders are available now at a reduced price.

If you’d like to reserve a copy, message me for details.